[Jo Yongjun's Travel Stories] What Is Tropical Night? A Highland City Where People Sleep Under Blankets

The Best Summer Retreat at 1000m Plateau
Enjoy Taebaek Galbi and Mul Dak Galbi
Cool Breeze Blows Gently After Sunset~~

The desire to have fun and rest well during vacation is the same for everyone. However, having a good time is not as easy as it sounds. Escaping the heat is called piseo (避暑), but famous piseo spots are packed with crowds. Especially the sea and beaches, which are popular piseo destinations, are really hot and humid. These places do not provide an environment conducive to proper rest. So, is there the coolest and best piseo spot? You just need to go to the highlands (高原). In the highlands, you can stay cool and dry just by being still. A day in the Taebaek highlands of Gangwon-do, where you can forget summer, guarantees a completely different comfort from the crowded beaches where thousands of people throng in seawater. There is no shortage of high mountains, deep valleys, and pouring starlight. Adding the delicacies of Gangwon-do’s local cuisine makes it even better.

The road leading to Manhangjae is charming like this. Even at midday, the temperature does not exceed 25 degrees Celsius.

# Highlands that make you forget summer~ I like it cool

The relentless heatwave continues. One of the top piseo destinations rising in popularity is Taebaek in Gangwon-do. Located at an altitude of about 700 to 1,000 meters, this place is called a highland city. Compared to Seoul, the temperature difference is usually about 5 to 7 degrees Celsius. It is a scientific fact that for every 100 meters you ascend, the temperature drops by about 0.5 to 0.6 degrees Celsius due to the reduction of Earth's radiative heat. Moreover, the low humidity makes the perceived temperature difference even greater.

Last week, when the mercury in urban areas hovered around 36 degrees Celsius in the sweltering heat, Taebaek had no common 'tropical nights.' It is rather cold at dawn.

The valleys have cold water, making it hard to even think about immersing your body. Mt. Hambaksan, Mt. Yeonhwaksan, Mt. Baekbyeongsan, Mt. Sangbangsan, Mt. Myeonsan... The lush valleys embraced by mountains soaring well above 1,100 meters around Taebaek make your body shiver just by entering. The valley in Daehyeon-ri, about 20 km along the national road toward Bonghwa from Taebaek, is a place where nearby residents escape the heat. Even at the peak of the piseo season, this valley is rarely visited by people.

The source of the Han River, Geomryongso

Baekdudaegan viewed from Hambaksan

Maebongsan Wind Hill Wind Farm

In Taebaek, you can escape not only the heat. Along Hwangchicheon, which runs through Taebaek city and leads to the Nakdong River, there are spectacular sights such as Gumunso, a ground cave considered a scenic spot, and the Samhyeongje Waterfall, which boasts grandeur. Additionally, the sunflower fields in Guwau Village, a local specialty, are worth seeing.

In the Taebaek area, the luxurious condos at Jeongseon High1 Resort are the best accommodations, but if reservations are difficult, staying at motels or inns in the area is also good. There are many guesthouses near Geomryongso or the entrance to Taebaeksan Mountain.

When you reach Manhangjae, the highest national road summit at the highest altitude, it is especially pleasant these days. A heavenly garden full of wildflowers is set up at that high place. Hidden scenic spots like Molundae, and Samsuryeong, where a single raindrop falling on the summit becomes the Han River, Nakdong River, and Osipcheon stream, are all around. Wherever you go in the Jeongseon-Taebaek highlands, cool energy awaits you.

Guwau Sunflower Village

These days, the Milky Way tour is popular in Taebaek.

Recently, among the MZ generation, stargazing in Taebaek has become popular. Taebaek is known as a prime spot for astronomical observation due to its low light pollution index. Around the Taebaek Sports Village, a starry spectacle unfolds at night, earning it the nickname 'Milky Way Road.'

On the 11th and 12th of this month, a stargazing event called the Milky Way Festival will be held. The 'Milky Way Journey' is a program where participants observe celestial bodies with experts and learn astrophotography techniques. The 'Milky Way Journey' runs from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. If weather conditions make stargazing difficult, the event will be rescheduled to the 18th and 19th.

# Chewy local dishes you can only enjoy in Taebaek

A trip that includes tasting the local dishes that the mountain highlands boast is also great. Taebaek, once known as a town where money circulated so much during the mining boom that people joked about carrying 10,000 won bills in their mouths, has long had a developed meat culture. After hard labor, people relieved hunger and fatigue with rich meat. Dakgalbi (spicy stir-fried chicken), mulgalbi (boiled ribs), and silbijip (charcoal-grilled meat houses) are traces of that grand meat-eating culture. You should try them all, and the common denominator is 'galbi' (ribs). Silbijip, where high-quality Korean beef is grilled over charcoal, is the essence of Taebaek’s meat culture. The galbisal (rib meat) you eat in Seoul is usually leftover meat cut from raw ribs, but in Gangwon-do’s Taebaek or Gyeongbuk areas, they even butcher specifically to eat galbisal. So you can taste high-quality galbisal for the first time. Because it is meat attached to the bone, it has a chewy and savory flavor that is exquisite. Many places in Taebaek city are named Silbijip, and they all do well.

Taebaek's representative dishes, from left to right: galbi grilled over a charcoal briquette fire, mul dakgalbi, and boiled pork from Gangsan Makgusu

There are also many places to enjoy meals that will restore your lost appetite in summer. Unlike Chuncheon dakgalbi, Taebaek dakgalbi, which has a slightly soupy consistency and is good to eat with various ingredients, is well known at Daemyeong Dakgalbi and Kim Seobang Dakgalbi near Hwangji Pond.

Chomak Gogaldu, located on the way up Samsuryeong in Hwangji-dong, Taebaek, is famous for its tofu, mackerel, and hairtail braised dishes. The spicy and savory seasoning seeps into the fresh fish, making you crave rice.

At Gangseon Makguksu in Taebaek, you can enjoy a bowl of soft suyuk (boiled pork slices) and cool, savory makguksu (buckwheat noodles). Naengmyeon (cold noodles) is also available separately. Pyeongyang Naengmyeon in Jangseong-dong, Taebaek, serves cold noodles in the Pyongyang style, as its name suggests. Unamjeong, proudly operated by High1 Resort, was originally Gangwon-do’s top Korean restaurant but has transformed into a hanok-style caf?.